Franken: 'I do Minnesota press only'

2/4/13 6:27 PM EST

Minnesota Sen. Al Franken today reiterated that he only talks to local Minnesota press.

Onboard Air Force One with President Obama today, Sen. Franken was asked if he supports Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s assault weapons ban. According to White House pool reporter Phil Rucker, of the Washington Post, the Senator responded by saying that he did not talk to national reporters.

"You can talk to my press secretary. I do Minnesota press on virtually – only," Franken said. "But I think if you’ll check, you can see that I’m a co-sponsor.”

The Senator's press secretary did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the policy, and his Washington office was closed.

Slate's Dave Weigel cited Franken's media strategy in a post last month, noting that "non-Minnesota reporters politely let him walk by as he leaves Senate meetings." The Washington Post's Erik Wemple ran into the Senator last June, and barely got the name of his publication out before Franken’s legislative director stepped in to tell him "to go through the press team."

“I just focus on Minnesota press," Franken told Wemple.

Wemple offers a nice break-down of who wins and loses with that press policy here.

UPDATE (7:36 p.m.): My colleague Carrie Budoff Brown, who was on the plane with the Senator, informs me that Franken "took a wrong turn on the plane and ended up in the press cabin," where he was questioned by Rucker.

Senator Franken feels that the most important people for him to communicate with are his Minnesota constituents, which is why he speaks most frequently to Minnesota media outlets. He does participate in interviews with national press from time to time, and our office makes every effort to respond to every press request we receive.

Correction: The original version of this post incorrectly reported that the interaction between Sen. Franken and the pooler took place at an event in Minneapolis. It took place on board Air Force One.